Nothing ordinary about this character

Readers Digest used to carry a feature called “The Most Unforgettable Character I Ever Met.” Thinking of it now and again, I’m reminded of an experience we had on one of our trips between Maine and Florida a few years back.

I can’t remember where we were precisely, but chances are good it was at a Hampton Inn, which we tend to favor, especially for the hot breakfasts. As we made our way into a dining nook off the main lobby, the hostess, a small lady perhaps in her late 60s or early 70s, greeted us and asked for our names.

Only half awake, I was taken aback, but I told her we were Anne and Sid.

Immediately, she wheeled around and announced to the crowded room in a pronounced Southern accent something that went like this: “Now, these people here are Anne and Sid. Over there are Ed and Lisa. The folks getting coffee are Bill and Charlotte. Then there’s Richard and his cousin John, Kayli and Jeff, Linda and Dave, Scott and Colleen and their son Sean over by the bagel-maker, Walt and Joan, Carol and Roy on their way to Tennessee and y’all come back real soon, hear? Laurie and Jim, Brad and Eileen … and on and on she went, rattling off the names of everyone in the place, to a smattering of warm applause.

The names are not those she used that day. Not even she has that good a memory. As soon as newer diners presented themselves, she started all over again and made her way through another lengthy roll call of the amused and amazed assembly. I noticed that many remained well after they’d finished eating to take in subsequent demonstrations of her prodigious memory.

What was it that got her started doing this act? How did she do it, and why? Was she concerned about getting Alzheimer’s as she aged, and played the game as a way to help keep her memory intact? Did she think her little shtick might prolong her time in a job she really enjoyed? Was it a subtle way to attract tips? Or was she just bored with the humdrum nature of her daily routine, and this was just her own way of expressing her individuality?

I’m inclined to go with the last. I wish now that we’d tarried a bit longer and asked her about herself and her engaging hobby. I don’t think I even asked her name. That’s the way it is when I’m in my travel mode. With 1,800 miles to navigate, every minute seems to count when I’m in the moment.

It’s easy in retrospect to recognize how much you can miss when you spend too much time looking at a wristwatch.

As we scurried back to the front desk to check out, I happened to glance back at the hostess. She was midway through another set of introductions, but she caught sight of us heading out and interrupted her routine.

“Goodbye, Sid and Anne,” she shouted, “Have a good trip now.”

Thinking back on that morning now, I’m left with three conclusions: (1) There are no “ordinary people.” So-called ordinary people, even in the most ordinary of circumstances, are capable of extraordinary feats. (2) It is no small achievement, if you know a way to do it, to make other people relax and smile. (3) We are all pretty much strangers in the night, exchanging glances.

How much better this old world might be if we just hung around long enough to give them more than a peek.

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